Marble-shooter.



J. E. FRANZEN.

MARBLE SHOOTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1914.

1, 112,780. Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

Q J 70 LQ$ Z4 ZZ? JOE-IN E. FRANZEN, OF CYICAGO, ILLINOIS.

1VIARBLE-SHOOTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

Application filed June 18, 1914. Serial No. 845,792.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN E. FRANZEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Marble-Shooters, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to toys and its object is to provide an improvement in devices for shooting marbles and other missiles, to the end of providing a construction available for the amateur manufacturer and embodying certain novel features not found in devices of this class heretofore invented.

My invention is in the form of one of the heavier pieces of ordnance, with a barrel which may be of a plain piece of bored wood, a breech portion which may be made of an ordinary tin box with cover, which is adapted to serve as a marble receptacle, or ammunition container, when the toy is not in action as a shooter; which embodies a safety feature to guard the child against injury from a cocked hammer or ejector, and which utilizes for its movable parts springs, wires and the like which are to be had as staple and comparatively inexpensive market articles.

With the above named objects in view my invention consists in the novel construction combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and incorporated in the appended claims.

In the drawing-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toy embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view with the cover and triggerknob removed and shows the breech-receptacle or body portion used as a marble receptacle or ammunition chamber. Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on line 38 of Fig. 2, with the exception that the hammer or marble ejector is shown cocked and one of the marbles is loaded into the barrel while the reserve supply is removed. Fig. 1 is a section taken substantially on line H in Fig. 2.

In the several views 2 represents the body which may be said to be in the form of a large shoe-blacking box with a cover 3. In the vertical periphery of this box is a hole 1 for a, preferably, wooden barrel 5 of a gun 0r cannon having a breech portion 6 within the box that is preferably square in cross-section. For the sake of convenient and inexpensive mounting of parts within the box it is shown provided with an inner wooden bottom 7 to which the breech portion of the gun may be secured in any suitable manner. In this bottom is bored a hole into which is tightly fitted a wooden pin 8 on which is mounted a coiled portion 9 of a spring one end 10 of which is movable in a slightly inclined slot 11 which may be made in the form of a saw-cut. The opposite end 12 bears against the inside of the box or body. The slot 11 is parallel to the axis of the bore 13 of the gun barrel which is slightly elevated at its muzzle. The slight inclination of the slot and the bore will be adjustedv to correspond with the gradual dropping of the arm 10 of the spring as it is drawn backward or cooked due to the contraction of the coiled portion 9 and the consequent sinking of its upper end.

The cocking device is a wire 14, one end of which projects to the outside of the box and carries a handle 15 while the opposite end is bent upward at right angles in the form of a vertical portion 16 terminating in a loop 16. The portion 16 is arranged in frontof the arm 10 of the ejector, arm, or hammer and engages said arm when moved back. Forwardly it is free of the arm 10, and in order to obviate liability of accident to the user from the ejector movement the portions 1 1, 15 and 16 are returned to normal position, shown in Figs. 2, 3, and a, by a spring 17 which has a coiled portion 18 also mounted on the post 8 and a react-ion portion 19 bearing against the inside of the box. A. guide channel for the cocking portions 14: and 16 is formed by fastening a piece of tin 20, bent L-shape in cross section, alongside of the breech portion 6 and utilizing one side of the latter as one side of the guide way or channel. One flange of the angle-iron form of tin 20 is secured to the bottom 7 in any suitable manner, as by screws 20. The trigger consists of a spring wire one end of which is formed into a spur 21 that is driven into and fastened to the bottom 7 from which spur the wire inclines upward toward the rear in a portion 22, then forms a U-shaped portion 23 which moves up and down in a recess 24L in the bottom 7, and finally extends upward in a vertical portion 25 which projects through a hole 26 in the cover 8 and is capped by a removable knob 27 that is held merely by friction and is lifted off when the cover is to be removed. As shown 0 one of the insides of the U-shaped portion engages the end of the spring arm, thrower or ejector 10 and is released by pressing down on the knob 27.

Having thus described my invention, 1 c aim as new and desire to secure by Lettors Patent-- 1. The combination with a box adapted to contain marbles, of a barrel part of which within said box, a hammer or ejector mou'itcd within said box and in an opensaid barrel, a wire rod having a hanportion projecting out of said box for no said ejector or hammer, means for returning said wire rod to normal position prior to the release of said ejector or hammer, and a trigger projecting out or said box for releasing or discharging said ejector O1 125111111181- 2. The combination with a box having a removable cover, of a barrel projecting partly into and out of said box, said box having a space therewithin about said barrel adapted to contain projectiles and the like and said barrel having a slot therethrough in the portion which is within said box an e ector mounted in said box and a J barrel, a cocking device mounted in said box and pro ecting therefrom, means for returning said cocking device to normal position independently of the movement of said ejector, and a trigger projecting through the cover of said box for releasing said ejector when cocked.

The ca'i mbination with barrel having a slot in one end thereof, of a receptacle in which the slotted end of the barrel is mounted, an ejector spring mounted within said receptacle and said slotted end, a trigger mounted within said receptacle and having projecting end extending to the exterior of said receptacle, a bent cocking rod similarly mounted, and a spring for returning said cocking rod to normal position.

in testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN E. FRANZEN. Witnesses JOHN STEWART, Jason A. GEHRING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

